LA Children's Chorus announces 2009-10 season

LOS ANGELES CHILDREN'S CHORUS, LED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANNE TOMLINSON, ANNOUNCES 2009-10 SEASON, ENTITLED "BOUNDLESS".

Highlights Include Jacaranda Debut, Broad Stage Debut, Participation in LA Phil's "West Coast/Left Coast" Festival and Orchestra's U.S. Premiere of Louis Andriessen's La Commedia, Performance of St. Matthew Passion with LA Master Chorale, and Appearance with Pasadena Pops Orchestra.

Choir Also Hosts State-Wide Choral Festival with Famed Venezuelan Choral Conductor Maria Guinand; Launches "Emerging Voices" Choir, Directed by Dr. Steven Kronauer, One of Very Few Choirs for Boys with Changed Voices in the Nation; Expands Children's Vocal Training Programs Outside of Pasadena Area in Partnership with Established Educational Enrichment Programs for First Time Since Its inception in 1986; and Tours to Finland.

Third LACC Documentary, Sing China! by Award-Winning Filmmakers, to be Released this Fall; and Noted Opera Singer/LACC Alumna Anna Christy Featured in Salon Recital.

The renowned Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) - described as "astonishingly polished," "hauntingly beautiful," "a homogenous blanket of sound that is smooth, silky" and "one heck of a talented group of kids" - announces the details of its 24th season, entitled "Boundless," which reflects the vivacious spirit of children as well as the potential of LACC itself. The season, one of its broadest ever during which the Chorus explores six centuries of choral music, varied in style and rich in innovation, marks Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson's 14th year leading the renowned ensemble, which performs with some of the Southland's leading musical organizations as well as produces its own series of concerts.

Among numerous season highlights, for the first time in its history, LACC expands its training program beyond its Pasadena home base by taking its successful "First Experiences in Singing" program for six- and seven-year-old children to three satellite locations, including downtown Los Angeles, in partnership with the highly regarded enrichment program Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA!), and the Westside. The choir also made its debut with the adventurous Santa Monica-based Jacaranda, acclaimed for its broad musical explorations, in a performance of Five Knee Plays from Philip Glass' Einstein on the Beach on October 24, 2009. On December 18, 2009, LACC appears with the Pasadena POPS for the first time since 1996 and performs Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 7, 2010. On February 21, 2010, LACC makes its debut at the celebrated Broad Stage in Santa Monica as part of the theatre's eclectic community concert series.

A trio of notable engagements under the auspices of the Los Angeles Philharmonic features the Chorus as well. LACC is the only children's choir selected to perform in the orchestra's much-heralded "West Coast/Left Coast" Festival with a program of works by such leading California composers as John Adams, Brian Holmes and Paul Gibson, among others, on November 14, 2009. In addition, the Chorus joins the LA Phil for the U.S. premiere of Louis Andriessen's La Commedia as part of the orchestra's prestigious Green Umbrella Series at Disney Hall on April 13, 2010. In a concert literally heard around the world through radio, television and Internet broadcasts, LACC was one of only two children's choirs to herald Gustavo Dudamel during his historic debut as Music Director of the LA Philharmonic in a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at the filled-to-capacity Hollywood Bowl on October 3, 2009.

Continuing its role as a national and international leader among children's choirs, LACC offers its popular annual Winter Concert, December 6 and 13, 2009, and Spring Concert, May 15 and 16, 2010, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. It also presents a California Statewide Choir Festival, Educational Forum and Concert headlined by internationally renowned Venezuelan choral conductor Maria Guinand on April 17 and 18, 2010. This summer, LACC builds upon its storied tradition of singing abroad by touring to Finland. The 2009-10 Season also marks the launch of LACC's "Emerging Voices" choir, under the direction of Dr. Steven Kronauer, which is the first choir in the region and one of only a handful in the country to serve boy vocalists with changing voices. Celebrated soprano and LACC alumna Anna Christy returned to L.A. to give a salon recital on October 20, 2009 for the Chorus that sparked her love of opera.

The documentary film Sing China! - the third in a series of acclaimed documentaries about the choir produced and directed by award-winning filmmakers Jessica Sanders and Freida Lee Mock - premieres this fall. The film chronicles LACC's groundbreaking tour to China just prior to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Mock and Sanders' earlier documentaries about LACC include the Academy Award-nominated film Sing!, which follows a year in the life of the Chorus, and award-winning sequel Sing Opera! about the making of LACC's commissioned, world-premiere opera Keepers of the Night, by composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock.

"Los Angeles Children's Chorus continues to expand its artistic boundaries and will showcase its talents in myriad ways this season," says Tomlinson. "This is one of our most diverse seasons to date. We are proud to forge new relationships in the community with Jacaranda and HOLA!, among others, and to build upon our well established artistic relationships with such esteemed organizations as the LA Phil, Los Angeles Master Chorale and Pasadena POPS. We also look forward to the premiere of 'Sing China!' It was an honor for LACC to, once again, work with Freida Mock and Jessica Sanders on this project, which we know, based on their previous work, will be a sensational documentary."

Adds LACC Executive Director Rachel Fine, "On an institutional level, we are deeply gratified, especially in this troubled economy, to be able to bring 'First Experiences in Singing' to satellite locations so LACC can reach budding young singers from broad cultural and economic backgrounds with high quality music instruction right in their own communities. We know this will help fill a tremendous need for local programs that introduce young children to music. The engaging program, which emphasizes vocal and musical skill development and rhythmic concepts, has universal appeal and can set the foundation for a life-long love of music."

Both Tomlinson and Fine also note that the newly formed "Emerging Voices" choir will reach a segment of the region's youth - 13- to 18-year-old boys with maturing voices - not previously served by LACC or any other Southland choirs. "Outside of private study, there simply has not been an avenue in which these boys can continue their vocal training in a choral setting once they 'graduate from' treble children's choirs," they explain.

LACC, renowned for its agile bel canto singing style, ability to perform extremely diverse and challenging repertory, and outstanding training program for young singers, currently serves 350 youths from 60 communities across Los Angeles in six choirs and introductory "First Experiences in Singing" classes. Choir members receive intensive training that includes weekly or twice weekly rehearsals, individual vocal coaching and comprehensive musicianship classes.

For additional information on LACC, its auditions or programs, or a free season brochure, please call (626) 793-4321 or visit www.lachildrenschorus.org.

LACC PERFORMANCES DETAILED

Los Angeles Children's Chorus' season opened on October 3, 2009, when the Chorus became part of history as Los Angeles welcomed new Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel with a packed performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. The Chorus was one of only two children's choirs selected for the honor of performing with the orchestra for the auspicious occasion. It joined forces with the Harmonies Girl Choir and nine adult choirs, including the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, Los Angeles Chamber Choir, Pasadena Master Chorale, Philippine Chamber Singers, Southeast Symphony Chorus and Spanish Choir at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The concert was hailed by critics for uniting the city of Los Angeles and helping to reinvigorate interest in classical music around the globe.

Acclaimed soprano/LACC alumna Anna Christy - described as "stunning," "creamy" voiced, and "a delight of feisty energy and sweet, sharp vocalism" - returned to her early singing roots to headline a salon recital for LACC on Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 7:30 P.M., at the private home of LACC Chair David Scheidemantle. Christy, currently performing in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio with the San Francisco Opera, has performed with such leading opera companies as La Scala, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, English National Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera and Santa Fe Opera, among many others. Lauded by critics for her captivating lyric-coloratura opera roles and solo engagements, Christy was a founding member of the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, with which she sang from 1986 to 1989. She generously donated her services to give back to the organization that first sparked her passion for opera.

On Saturday, October 24, 2009, 8:00 P.M., LACC made its debut on the adventurous and critically acclaimed Westside music series Jacaranda when it performed Five Knee Plays from Philip Glass' pivotal opera "Einstein on the Beach" at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica. The program was the season opener for Jacaranda, described as "music at the edge" and created by Artistic Director Patrick Scott and Music Director Mark Alan Hilt. Of the performance, the Los Angeles Times proclaimed the children sang "with marvelous clear voices lifted to heaven."

LACC explores the works of John Adams, Paul Gibson and other vital California composers as part of the LA Phil's pioneering "West Coast, Left Coast" music festival, in which LACC was the only children's choir selected to perform. The matinee performance on Saturday, November 14, 2009, 2 P.M., also held at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica, features historic and contemporary works reflecting the countries that were vital to the development of the Golden State. Among them are, from the "old world," the Spanish carol Riu, riu, chiu, from the "new world," the Mexican folksong A la nanita nana, as well as John Adams' A Palm Tree from "El Niño," Brian Holmes' Pie Jesu, David Conte's Alleluia and Paul Gibson's Dona Nobis Pacem/Grant Us Peace - all of whom are California composers. Los Angeles Times Architecture Critic and pop culture expert Christopher Hawthorne leads a pre-concert discussion with USC Thornton Musicology Professor Mina Yang and California composer Paul Gibson at 1:00 P.M. on the festival's theme: "California as a sympathetic refuge for creative renegades."

LACC presents its popular annual Winter Concert on Sunday, December 6 and Sunday, December 13, 2009, 7:00 P.M., at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. The program features an eclectic range of classical, folk and contemporary works from Mexico, Spain, Venezuela and China and California. Specific works include Winter by Zhou Long, internationally acclaimed for blending ancient Chinese musical traditional with modern Western instruments and ensembles; Cuncti Simus, a Medieval manuscript from Monserat; the Mexican lullaby A la Puerta del Cielo; and Lullaby written in 1977 for treble choir and organ by noted American composer Henry Mollicone.

Celebrating the holidays with joyous music, LACC, reunites, for the first time since 1996, with the Pasadena POPS, led by Conductor Rachel Worby, to present a concert of seasonal favorites on Saturday, December 19, 2009, 8:00 P.M., at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The program includes melodies from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and Handel's Messiah, as well the sounds of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Other guest artists on the bill are the Donald Brinegar Singers and vocalist Valerie Pettiford.

Season Continues

The season continues with LACC's Broad Stage debut, as part of the 499-seat state-of-the-art theater's eclectic community events series, on February 21, 2010, 4:00 P.M. The wide ranging repertoire, reflective of LA's global cultural, features world music from China, South America and Finland, as well as contemporary compositions from Scandinavia (highlighting the choir's upcoming tour to that region), and American jazz standards and spirituals. Tomlinson conducts Aglepta written in 1969 by Swedish composer Arne Mellnäs; segments from Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara's Children's Mass (Lapsimessu) for children's chorus; the Finnish folksong Taivas on Sinnen; the South American folksong La Paloma; Acto del Rio by Alberto Grau, one of the most influential Venezuelan composers and conductors of the 20th and 21st Centuries; Blue Skies by Cole Porter; It don't mean a thing by Duke Ellington; and the spiritual Go Where I Send Thee.

LACC appears with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Music Director Grant Gershon, for the Walt Disney Concert Hall debut of Bach's St. Matthew Passion - considered one of Western Civilization's greatest pieces of music - on Sunday, March 7, 2010, 7:00 P.M. Special guest Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, one of the nation's foremost Baroque ensembles, performs on period instruments adding to the Chorale's authentic interpretation of this timeless masterwork.

The public is invited to learn more about LACC with a behind-the-scenes peek at the choir when LACC hosts its annual Open House on April 10, 2010, at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Designed to introduce families to its highly regarded choirs and acclaimed choral training program for youths, the Open House features a brief live performance by LACC's Apprentice Choir and a demonstration of the numerous skills children learn through the program. Families will also enjoy group warm-ups and fun musicianship activities conducted by LACC staff that are part of the choir's comprehensive training program. Additionally, there will be a short presentation and the opportunity for guests to meet some of LACC's staff to ask questions about the program.

LACC returns to Disney Hall on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 8:00 P.M., for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's acclaimed Green Umbrella Series when it joins the orchestra for the world premiere of Louis Andriessen's La Commedia, an opera based on Dante's literary masterpiece Divine Comedy. Says Andriessen of the work's text, "La Commedia - I prefer to use Dante's original title, as 'Divine' was added long after his death - is a book that has been part of my life for more than 25 years. It combines complexity, intellectualism, horror, beauty, allusions, historical and mythological references, and, above all, irony. I've tried to capture the amusing and human aspects of the text. Perhaps the best description is closer to something by Fellini, part nightmare and part dream." Comprised of five scenes, Andriessen further notes, "I see Dante's La Commedia as one of the highest points ever reached in literature and philosophy. I selected sequences of material in the same order as in Dante's book. So the first two scenes take us from the City of Dis down through Inferno to the deepest regions of hell where we meet Lucifer in the third part. This is where Adam's Fall is described. We then pass upward through the lighter-hearted Garden of Earthly Delights until we reach Paradise in the final section, Eternal Light."

Continuing to serve as a leader among children's choruses throughout the country, LACC hosts a two-day California Statewide Choir Festival, Educational Forum and Concert headlined by internationally renowned, Grammy Award-nominated choral conductor Maria Guinand, director of the famed Venezuela Schola Cantorum Caracas, on Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, 2010 at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Guinand has also served as coordinator of the Choral Symphonic Performances of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, preparing the choirs for performances in Venezuela and abroad for such noted conductors as Eduardo Mata, Alberto Grau, Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Claudio Abbado, Edmon Colomer, Krzysztof Penderecki and Gustavo Dudamel, among others. Among the choirs participating are the South Bay Children's Choir, based in Torrance and conducted by Diane Simons; the Children's Choir, located in Livermore, CA, and conducted by Yang Bee Chow; and LA's Harmonies Girl's Choir, under the direction of Antonio Espinal.

Los Angeles Children's Chorus hosts it annual Spring Concert on Saturday, May 15, 4:00 P.M., and Sunday, May 16, 2010, 7:00 P.M., at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson conducts LACC's Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. Associate Artistic Director Mandy Brigham leads the Intermediate Choir and Assistant Artistic Director Amy Brehm leads the Apprentice Choir. The choirs will perform separately and combined.

In June 2010, LACC embarks on a 10-day tour to Sweden, Estonia and Finland, dazzling audiences in Stockholm, Tallinn and Helsinki.

Choir Extends Reach

Last season, LACC introduced "First Experiences in Singing," eight- to ten-week, non-auditioned, non-performing classes that introduce six- and seven-year-old children from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds to the wonder and excitement of singing and music. The 45-minute weekly classes are designed to assist budding singers with vocal and musical skill development, exposing them to general music and rhythmic concepts, and introducing them to bel canto singing, the vocal style for which LACC is noted. Due to the program's overwhelming success, this season, for the first time since LACC's inception, the choir is expanding one of its training programs beyond the choir's home base at Pasadena Presbyterian Church by taking "First Experiences in Singing" to three satellite locations across the city.

It is pairing with the highly respected enrichment program Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA!) in downtown Los Angeles to present the introductory singing class to HOLA! participants for the fall and spring semesters. This fall, LACC also reaches deeper into the local San Gabriel Valley community by "adopting," thanks to a generous grant from Nestlé USA, the Daniel Webster Elementary School in Pasadena, where it is presenting "First Experiences in Singing" for the school's young students during the fall and spring semesters. This spring, LACC also launches an eight-week "First Experiences in Singing" class on the Westside at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica.

In addition, LACC presents several sessions of the class, Level 1 and Level 2, at its home location, Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Serving a different cross section of children, this season LACC also introduces the "Emerging Voices" choir, which was launched in September and is the first choir in Southern California and one of only a few in the nation to serve boy vocalists with changing voices. Led by esteemed opera singer and conductor Dr. Steven Kronauer, the new choir gives boys 13 to 18 years old the opportunity to pursue choral studies and nurture their maturing vocal talent to facilitate development of their voices in a healthy manner. The choir will explore repertory in the middle voice range for both tenors and baritones specifically suited to developing voices.

Artists and Philanthropists Honored at Benefit

The chorus hosts its annual benefit on Friday, April 30, 2010 (location to be announced), at which acclaimed opera star Suzanna Guzmán, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Freida Lee Mock and devoted arts patrons Stuart and Rebecca Bowne will be honored for their tremendous contributions to Los Angeles Children's Chorus and the arts community at large. In addition to a tantalizing dinner and LACC performance, guests will enjoy a live auction of one-of-a-kind items and experiences. Benefit co-chairs are Alma Aroustamian (Glendale), Annie Yeager Higgins (Pasadena), Katherine Kavich (La Cañada), Jennifer Harris Sliskovich (Bel Air), and Andrea Greene Willard (San Marino).

LACC Supporters

LACC's 2009-2010 concert season and core educational program are made possible in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, Bank of New York Mellon, Mattel Children's Foundation, Meet The Composer's MetLife Creative Connections program, and Nestlé USA. LACC is also deeply grateful to generous lead patrons Helen and Peter Bing and the hundreds of individual, foundation, corporate and government donors whose dedicated support sustains the Chorus' annual choral music program for children.

The Los Angeles Children's Chorus

Los Angeles Children's Chorus, under Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson, is recognized throughout the country for its exceptional artistic quality and technical ability. Founded in 1986, LACC performs frequently with leading music ensembles including the LA Phil, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Calder Quartet and Pasadena Symphony. LACC also assists Los Angeles Opera by training and providing children for its opera productions that require children's chorus or child soloists. The Chorus' roster includes more than 350 children aged 6-18 from 60 communities across Los Angeles in six choirs and a program of "First Experiences in Singing" classes for young singers. LACC's intensive training program includes weekly or twice weekly rehearsals, individual vocal coaching and comprehensive musicianship classes. LACC has toured Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Australia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland, as well as many parts of the United States and Canada. In 2008, Concert Choir performed at the China International Arts Celebration for Young People during its tour to China prior to the Beijing summer Olympics. Among its numerous accomplishments, LACC produced a commissioned world-premiere opera, Keepers of the Night, by composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock in 2007 and appears on "Amore Infinito" ("Infinite Love"), a Deutsche Grammophon CD of songs based on poems by the late Pope John Paul II and performed by Plácido Domingo, which was released worldwide in March 2009. LACC is also featured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary, "Sing!" and sequel documentary "Sing Opera!" by award-winning Santa Monica filmmakers Freida Lee Mock and Jessica Sanders. "Sing!" documents a year in the life of the choir and is shown frequently on PBS stations nationwide. "Sing China!," a third documentary premiering in fall 2009, chronicles the choir's groundbreaking tour to China. LACC has appeared twice on NBC's "The Tonight Show," including, in June 2009, with Grammy Award-winning pop artist John Mayer, and was featured on Public Radio International's acclaimed nationally syndicated radio show "From the Top," hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O'Riley. On a local outreach level, LACC continues its long-standing commitment to the community by performing frequently in retirement homes, community centers and public schools, and for various civic organizations throughout the year.

Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson

Anne Tomlinson, appointed artistic director of Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) in 1995, conducts the Concert Choir and the Chamber Singers and is responsible for the educational and artistic development of LACC. She also serves as Children's Chorus Mistress for the Los Angeles Opera. During her tenure, she has prepared children for major operatic works including the world premiere of Tobias Picker's opera Fantastic Mr. Fox based upon the story by Roald Dahl, and has worked with Plácido Domingo, Andrew Litton, and Julius Rudel, among other renowned conductors. She has prepared children's choirs for Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Carlos Rizzi, Maren Alsop in Los Angeles Philharmonic performances of Stravinsky's Persephone, John Adams' El Niño, Mahler's Symphony No. 3, Orff's Carmina Burana and a fully staged production of Bernstein's Mass at the Hollywood Bowl, among many others. Los Angeles Master Chorale presentations include Christopher Rouse's Requiem and Orff's Carmina Burana with Grant Gershon and Paul Salamunovich. Ms. Tomlinson is a frequent presenter at symposia, workshops and festivals. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Master's degree in conducting from Northwestern University where she studied with Margaret Hillis. She received in 2000 the Gold Crown Award for Music Education, given by the Pasadena Arts Council, the 2001Power of One Award, given by Facing History and Ourselves Foundation, and the 2006 Educator of the Year Award given by the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Southern California.